To the surprise of many, the media billionaire took part in La7 broadcaster’s current affairs show hosted by one of his biggest critics, Michele Santoro.

Many were expecting Mr. Berlusconi to walk out of the “Servizio Pubblico” show, but he stayed firmly put. He kept a cool head and gave back to the anchorman as much as he got without losing his characteristic smile and sway.

In fact, the only time it turned into a shouting match it was mainly Mr. Santoro that was doing the screaming. Mr. Berlusconi, who pushed out Mr. Santoro from state-owned television while premier in 2002, even mocked the presenter by asking if he was going to walk out of his own program.

No doubts Mr. Berlusconi went through some serious coaching to prepare for the fight. The media mogul-turned-politician proved that he is still the perfect salesman and the most eloquent speaker among Italian politicians.

Mr. Berlusconi, who is trailing the center-left bloc and has been on a media offensive to bring back some of his disillusioned supporters into the fold, probably managed to bag some new votes for next month’s general elections from Thursday’s TV performance.

What did Mr. Santoro and La7 channel–a dwarf compared to state-owned broadcaster RAI and Berlusconi’s Mediaset empire–get? More than 8.5 million viewers and 33.6% of audience share during prime time: a record.

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